Soundproofing a Ceiling

Once again our Studio Ceiling soundproofing system has been used for a flat in London to help reduce noise from neighbours above.  Prior to installation, noise from above could clearly be heard because the flat was constructed prior to the current Building Regulations for the control of noise through floors and ceilings so the Studio Ceiling system as described on our domestic web site www.keepitquiet.co.uk was the preferred solution to address the noise from above issue.  The existing ceiling was simply plasterboard so it was easy to take down.  If it had been a lathe and plaster ceiling it is always better to leave it in place because it provides better sound insulation than plasterboard.  With lathe and plaster ceilings all that needs to be done is to install our Thin Ceiling Soundproofing System and more information on this can also be found on our web site.  Now back to the Studio Ceiling System.  To install this the existing plasterboard ceiling has to be removed then our Resilient Bar decoupling system can be screwed across the joists at 400mm centres across the room.  100mm of AMW100 Acoustic Mineral Wool is now cut to be a loose fit between the joists and inserted above the resilient bars that will hold it in place.  It is important the AMW is not fitted tightly because this stiffens the structure making it acoustically less efficient.  Once the AMW100 is in place 15mm Acoustic Plasterboard is screwed to the bars.  It is important that the screws do not come into contact with the joists so to avoid this, mark with pencil the position of the joists and bars on the walls then you can see the correct positioning of where the screws have to go which is between the joists, not on top of them.  Once the first layer has been fixed the second layer can be screwed up but this time with our 1mm SoundBlocker Membrane sound barrier mat sandwiched between the two.  Because it is next to impossible to glue this directly to the ceiling because it is too floppy, cut it to size and glue it to the second layer of plasterboard before screwing it up as one.  Both layers of Acoustic Plasterboard should be fitted with about a 1mm gap between the edge of the plasterboard and the wall.  This gap should be filled with our high density Acoustic Sealant prior to finishing and decorating.  More information including installation instructions can be found on our domestic web site www.keepitquiet.co.uk.